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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 24.19%
Worth A Look: 39.52%
Average: 14.52%
Pretty Bad: 4.03%
Total Crap: 17.74%
8 reviews, 76 user ratings
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| Red Dragon |
by MP Bartley
"Mmm...thirds are better than seconds."
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That is of course when you're talking about Hopkins' interpretation of our favourite cannibal. After the disapointing 'Hannibal' it was a risky move to bring back Lecter for one more go. Especially risky when it's already been made by Mann and held in high regard. Even more risky when you consider that the guy in charge of Lecters' first outing is Brett Ratner, the man behind such classics as erm...'The Family Man' anyone? But the risk has paid off because 'Red Dragon' is a well above average thriller, that while not equalling 'Silence Of The Lambs' classic status, is comfortably one of the better films of the year.Comparisons with 'Manhunter' can be endless, and ultimately, pointless so it's better to keep them to a minimum and take it on it's own terms.
'Red Dragon' kicks off with a pre-credit sequence detailing how Lecter was originally captured by FBI agent Will Graham (Ed Norton). It's not an easy capture however and Graham is scarred both mentally and physically to the point of quitting.
Some years later however and a killer dubbed 'The Tooth Fairy' , who turns out to be Francis Dollarhyde (Ralph Fiennes) is hacking his way through suburban families and confounding the authorities. Graham comes out of retirement at the request of his boss Jack Crawford (Harvey Keitel) to help with the capture but it's a case that will require Graham to confront Lecter for his help...
The main attraction for 'Red Dragon' is of course, to see Hopkins back as Lecter and his shadow rightly hangs over the film. This mood is set from the opening sequence which drags the audience into the story and also sets up the relationship between Lecter and Graham that is played out. It's a much more interesting relationship than the Lecter/Starling one which was based on Lecters attraction to Starling, as we have Lecter snarling at the man who put him away. Even Graham admits that Lecter is smarter than him, leading to to some terrific confrontations as Lecter preys on Grahams fears and insecurities. The ebbing fear and hatred between them lend a lot of spice to the cell scenes, which are easily the equal of any in 'Silence...'
It goes without saying that Hopkins is marvellous in the role, as it's his calling card and proves that when it comes to adding menance to the most innocous of words (for 'chianti' and 'goody goody' last time round, add 'oodles'), there's no-one better than him. It's arguable that Lecter has lost a lot of his menace through repetition, but Hopkins still creates a sense of fear simply by looking out at Graham, or the audience.
Ratner, or the source novel to be precise, also shows that Lecter is far more threatening when he's incarcerated and playing mind games with his captors. 'Hannibal' didn't have half as much impact simply because it let Lecter roam all over Europe and only acting when forced to, and not because he's captured. It also works better because like 'Silence...' the story doesn't focus squarely on Lecter. It's about Graham tracking down Dollarhyde, with Lecter smirking in the shadows. 'Hannibal' forget that and stripped away too much of Lecters mystery. Ratner sensibly keeps him to his few unforgettable scenes.
And no dis-respect to anyone in 'Hannibal' but there was simply no-one there to match Hopkins in the acting stakes. Using Norton is a masterstroke as he's the only actor of his generation that could can keep up with Hopkins acting. It's not classic Norton (if you have to compare it to 'Manhunter' ironically it's William Petersen that captures Grahams tortured soul better) but he elevates practically everything he's in and gets across the intelligence of Graham tempered with his fear of Lecter.
Adding Keitel and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (as oily reporter Lounds who ends up in THAT wheelchair) also lends 'Red Dragon' a weight that Ratner sometimes fails to add.
Just behind Hopkins in the acting stakes, and drawing with Norton is Fiennes as Dollarhyde. It's been so long he's had a good role you can be forgiven that Fiennes can be one of the greatest actors around so it's great that he's given the opportunity here. To compare it to 'Manhunter' for the last time, he portrays Dollarhyde in a very different way to Tom Noonans portrayal. Noonans was a very scary creation, almost alien like in his look, but Fiennes adds more than that. He's appropriately terrifying in the right places, but also gives Dollarhyde a more symphatic slant to round and deepen the character. His tentative romance with his blind co-worker (Emily Watson) is naive and touching, as you see the man behind the monster.
With a great cast and a script by 'Silence...' scribe Ted Tally, Ratner has a lot to work with, and so an occassional inabiltity to grasp the material is forgiven. He doesn't do a bad job by any means, 'Red Dragon' is never boring and constantly dark, but the style occassionally veers onto bland. Saying that however, although there's very little gore, Ratner still fills the running time with a sense of danger and urgency with the odd attempt at flair or shock (Dollarhyde's slide show to Lounds of his victims 'changing'). It's to Ratners credit that 'Red Dragon' emerges as an excellent thriller leaving Lecters probable last outing as a tasty finisher.Did you like 'Silence of the Lambs'? You'll probably like this. Were you dissapointed by 'Hannibal'? You'll be more than satisfied with this. Do you love 'Manhunter'? It's debatable whether this will displace it in your affections. For those of us wanting to be alternately scared and thrilled, it's well worth your time. And it all ends with a great joke for those in the know.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=6176&reviewer=293
originally posted: 10/10/02 22:01:44
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USA
04-Oct-2002 (R)
UK
N/A
Australia
24-Oct-2002
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